How to get more detail out of face

esac · #1 03-20-2008, 11:16 PM

I have a photo that I have done the basic things I know how .. adjust levels, dirt and noise, etc.. But it always leaves the face almost completely washed out. I am hoping that somebody could give some suggestions on this picture?

http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/thumbs/s...3/scan0001.jpg

Nanls · #2 03-20-2008, 11:29 PM

The image is too small to give any advise. Please upload a larger image or link to a larger image.
~Nancy

____________________________

www.PhotoArt123.com

esac · #3 03-20-2008, 11:30 PM

My apologies, the larger file is there, the link just pointed to the thumbnail

Here is the larger picture:

http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/11...3/scan0001.jpg

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nanls

The image is too small to give any advise. Please upload a larger image or link to a larger image.
~Nancy

____________________________

www.PhotoArt123.com

0lBaldy · #4 03-20-2008, 11:42 PM

A better scan would do wonders for this picture.. If you scanned this.. I would RE-scan and turn off all automatic stuff and scan at the highest resolution

esac · #5 03-20-2008, 11:47 PM

I agree. The problem is that my scan is from my grand aunt in California who took it to Walgreens, made a photo copy and mailed it to me. I do not turn on any automatic settings for my scans as I do a pretty good job of the basics that those don't matter.

The issue is that the source I have just simply sucks

I only found out that my grand aunt was alive about 1 month ago, but I plan on getting down to her place within the next year and take my scanner with me

Quote:

Originally Posted by 0lBaldy

A better scan would do wonders for this picture.. If you scanned this.. I would RE-scan and turn off all automatic stuff and scan at the highest resolution

MatthewMarshall · #6 03-20-2008, 11:48 PM

what does the original un-edited photo look like can you post that.

esac · #7 03-21-2008, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatthewMarshall

what does the original un-edited photo look like can you post that.

Here it is in all of its washed out gory
http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/11...johnarthur.jpg

0lBaldy · #8 03-21-2008, 01:50 AM

Here is my try..
duped the original and made about 6 multiple layers to darken uniform
threw in a couple gradient masks from top down to even things out a bit
made a HDR from the original and tone mapped it very dark just looking at face
combined and masked tone mapped face to show through
Desaturated
Polaroid dust and scratch remover twice (once for white and once for dark)
ran through Imagenomic Noiseware at default with some minor corrections
Photoshop dust and scratch with a hide all mask and with small brush went over the remaining spots to remove them
posted here

printmeister · #9 03-21-2008, 03:51 AM

Just tried to burn a little shading into face... unfortunately i'm no artist!
Tried a colourised version as well.

dbarrack · #10 03-21-2008, 04:25 AM

The face is blown out in many places so there is no option outside of creating a blank layer and brushing in a light color of your choice, or maybe burning as suggested, but nothing will create any detail in the face which I think is the biggest issue here. The overall image can be improved pretty quickly by replacing the weaker channel with the stronger channel but again there's no detail to be had in this image in parts of the face.

zganie · #11 03-21-2008, 05:48 AM

Try scanning it TWICE once for higlights once for shadow detail then sandwich them together

Also remember if there is no information there then trying to put it in might make the highlights muddy looking

ashkumar · #12 03-21-2008, 10:17 AM

Here is my try

I used curve.

esac · #13 03-21-2008, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashkumar

Here is my try

I used curve.

Nice! that seemed to bring out the most detail in the face thus far. I tried curves just now and am not getting the same. Any suggestions?

esac · #14 03-21-2008, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by printmeister

Just tried to burn a little shading into face... unfortunately i'm no artist!
Tried a colourised version as well.

How do you colourize? I would love to try that out sometime. Good job, only slight criticism is that he is black hence his skin tone should be darker

esac · #15 03-21-2008, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zganie

Try scanning it TWICE once for higlights once for shadow detail then sandwich them together

Also remember if there is no information there then trying to put it in might make the highlights muddy looking

No idea how I would scan for highlights vs scanning for shadow detail. The scan seems to produce the same picture all of the time.